11-year-old creates comics for Winsted Journal

WINSTED — This week, 11-year-old William Dietz’s comic strip Lucy Fur debuts in The Winsted Journal.

Although he’s living in Winsted, he attends Farmington Valley Academy Montessori. 

His parents are Hyewon Kim, who is serving active duty in the U.S. Navy and is stationed in Groton, Conn., and William Dietz, who lives in Taiwan and is retired from the Navy.

For the past six years he has lived with his grandparents Cheryl Bartley and Russell Buchner, who both started to take care of William when Kim was stationed in Afghanistan and Dietz was wounded serving on the USS Cole.

“I like funny stuff, and it gives my hand some exercise” William said. “Sometimes I do satire, but sometimes it’s a big fat hairy mix!”

He said that Lucy Fur is based on his cat.

“Lucy Fur, in the comic, is going to be a talking comic-book cat,” William said. “I have done other cat characters, like Super-Cat.”

While he might be young, William said he has been creating comics for quite some time, and mentioned his love of art.

“I won the Barnes and Noble comic book competition with Lucy Fur, and I got a drawing board as a prize!” WIlliam said. “In school I like science and art, and I have the nickname Art Boy! I like making people smile, and I find that bullies just need someone to make them laugh!”

William is entering the fifth grade this year.

Turn to Page A6 to see his comic strip.